WNYC

WNYC NEWS

Election Coverage
WNYC’s midterm election coverage included analysis of the issues and tight races, candidate profiles, and an election guide created by the WNYC Data News team to inform voters of the choices, as well as an experimental community initiative, #JustVoteAlready, that succeeded in increasing participation in a district with historically low voter turnout (NYC Election District 80004 in the Bronx). The coverage culminated with a four-hour special hosted by Brian Lehrer on election night.

Environmental Concerns
In October 2014, WNYC teamed up with NBC 4 New York to examine what climate change will mean for New York City. The week-long “NYC 2050” series made predictions, based on consensus research from the New York City Panel on Climate Change and similarly reputable scientific studies, and explored their ramifications for city life and infrastructure. In June, WNYC ran a five-part series in partnership with website City Limits called “The Cost of Our Water.” The series examined where our water comes from, why water rates in New York City have nearly tripled in the past 15 years and the consequences for residents.

Being 12
It’s no secret that being 12 years old can be tough. It’s a transformative time in a child’s life – physiologically, psychologically, academically and socially. “Being 12,” a week-long WNYC/SchoolBook series, used audio and video stories along with photo essays to bring to life the array of faces, voices and perspectives of these young New Yorkers. The project reached large audiences beyond our platforms, on Tumblr and YouTube.

NYPD Bruised“NYPD Bruised,” a series of in-depth reports, revealed that it is not uncommon for low-level arrests to spiral dangerously out of control, and that a relatively small number of officers routinely use unnecessary force. While the NYPD devotes tremendous resources to spotting crime trends, it neglects to turn an eye inward, which allows these officers to continue this behavior without reprimand or removal from the streets. The series also found that African-Americans charged with low-level crimes are far more likely to face a charge of resisting arrest than whites are. The series won a Sigma Delta Chi Award (Public Service in Radio Journalism), Regional Edward R. Murrow Award (Radio, Continuing Coverage), New York State Associated Press Award (General Excellence of Individual Reporting), and Deadline Club Award (Radio or Audio Reporting). In Fiscal Year 2016, the series was also recognized with an Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Award.

MicropolisThe newsroom series “Micropolis” by Arun Venugopal, which explores race and culture in New York City, took a week-long look at faith in December 2014. The series aired during Morning Edition and included stories on how street evangelists proselytize in New York, the Hare Krishna comeback, big Orthodox Jewish families and being Muslim in America. In the spring, Venugopal hosted a five-session “Micropolis” series in The Greene Space, on topics as varied as food culture (eating with your hands) and the role of race in standup comedy.

HEALTH REPORTING INITIATIVE

In February and March 2015, WNYC’s Health unit produced “Living Cancer,” a two-week, 10-part series airing nationally in collaboration with NPR. The series took a look inside the shifting science of cancer treatment and aired in conjunction with the WETA/PBS documentary Ken Burns Presents: Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies. As part of this comprehensive look at cancer, On the Media presented two hour-long specials focusing on how the media covers cancer and how this shapes cancer research, funding and perception. Listen to “The Cancer Show,” Part One and Part Two.

In February 2015, WNYC aired a series called “Breaking Point: New York’s Mental Health Crisis.” The week-long series examined the ways in which poverty and trauma exacerbate mental health problems and how public systems often struggle to respond to people in distress. “Breaking Point” explored how poverty, neglect and abuse impact the developing brains of children; how our schools are and aren’t equipped to deal with serious emotional problems among vulnerable children; and what happens when the mentally ill end up in prisons instead of hospitals. In March, a community event at the Schomburg Center in Harlem attended by 300 people, including an interview with First Lady of New York City Chirlane McCray, kept the conversation going.

In September 2014, WNYC’s Fred Mogul reported in a series called “Death Beds,” a deep dive into end-of-life healthcare. Stories included an exploration of why hospice care is rarely used in the state as well as a deeper look at the high cost of end-of-life care in New York. Data News visualizations highlighted how hospice care is lagging in New York and depicted the high rates of hospitalization at the end of life in New York and New Jersey. Listen here.

In January 2015, WNYC’s Mary Harris conducted an exclusive broadcast interview granted by Dr. Craig Spencer, the New York-Presbyterian Hospital physician who was New York City’s only Ebola victim. Her incisive reporting for WNYC News and On the Media stood as a contrast to the international media firestorm over the Ebola outbreak.

We are grateful to all of our health funders, including: the Charina Endowment Fund, The Hearst Foundations, Jane and Gerald Katcher and the Katcher Family Foundation, The Iris and Junming Le Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Simons Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Susan and Peter Solomon Family Foundation, and The Winston Foundation.

WNYC NATIONAL & LOCAL PROGRAMMING

With carriage on more than 255 public radio stations across the nation, The Takeaway led the American conversation in Fiscal Year 2015. Host John Hockenberry explored topics of local, national and international significance, from community and racial tensions in Ferguson, MO, to arms control and the upcoming 2016 elections. The Takeaway regularly collaborated with its local broadcasting stations to integrate diverse regional perspectives into the show’s discussion and analysis of critical issues. The series “Under Her Skin” followed the personal journey of three African-American women with breast cancer over a six-month period, winning an award for Best Radio Documentary from the National Association of Black Journalists. Also airing was “ZIP Code Decoded: How Where You Live Matters to Your Health,” which looked at the intersection between population and health. The series examined the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings and data collected by the American Communities Project at American University to illuminate the diverse health issues specific to regions and communities across the country.

Hosted by Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield, On the Media is a Peabody Award–winning news program that provides important counternarratives to dominant media stories of the day. As the mainstream media overreacted to Ebola arriving on our shores, On the Media brought listeners to the epicenter of the crisis in Liberia, where Ebola was a reality, not just a threat. In reporting the story, host Brooke Gladstone introduced millions of listeners to Rodney Sieh, the founder and editor of FrontPage Africa, an award-winning independent newspaper, who spoke about the hazards of covering this story and the devastating consequences of an uninformed public. In December, On the Media traveled to Monrovia, resulting in an hour of original reporting, raising awareness of Liberia as a nation in crisis and deepening our understanding of the conditions on the ground.

In June, On the Media was presented with a 2015 Mirror Award from the Newhouse School at Syracuse University for its hour-long special, “OTM Goes Inside Washington.” The Mirror Awards honor the reporters, editors and teams of writers who hold a mirror to their own industry for the public’s benefit.

Studio 360 is public radio’s smart and surprising guide to what’s happening in pop culture and the arts. Each week, Kurt Andersen introduces you to the people who are creating and shaping our culture. Recent guests include Frances McDormand, David Fincher, Jenny Slate, Paul Thomas Anderson, Cassandra Wilson, John Cusack, Christopher Wheeldon, and Carey Mulligan. What’s better than a rock opera? A rock opera based on the Book of Revelation! Musician Mike Doughty fulfilled his New Year’s resolution by writing and performing one, which he debuted in The Greene Space. The Great Doodle Dare listener challenge, judged by MacArthur “Genius Award” winner Alison Bechdel (Fun Home), got hundreds of listeners to complete a doodle she started. Want to see the winner? Look here.

In the fall of 2014, The Brian Lehrer Show celebrated 25 years on the air with a series titled “25 Years in 25 Days.” The series featured such notable guests as Francis Fukuyama and Ray Kelly, and conversations about major topics of the past 25 years, including the rise of AIDS, the early days of the Internet, and the group known as “Generation X.” The 25th anniversary programming culminated with a celebratory event held at the Society for Ethical Culture building. Special guests included the New Yorker’s David Remnick, New York Times columnist Gail Collins, PBS host Tavis Smiley and special quiz master Mo Rocca.

For 30 years, Leonard Lopate has quite literally hosted “the New York conversation,” earning a Peabody Award and recognition from, among others, the Associated Press and the James Beard Foundation. In early March, The Leonard Lopate Show celebrated the anniversary on-air with a week of special programming. Guests included Lidia Bastianich, Dave Barry, Art Spiegelman, Arlene and Alan Alda, Robert Caro, Sir Kenneth Branagh, Christopher Walken, and Phillip Lopate. Notable past interviews were posted online, as were food and recipe segments from guests including Ruth Reichl and Martha Stewart. Listen here.

WNYC’s music brands continued to deliver unique access to musical experiences – on the radio, via digital distribution and in person. Soundcheck hosted performances by Juana Molina and La Mecánica Popular, Primus, Guster, Buster Poindexter, Torres, Courtney Barnett and The Lone Bellow. Spinning On Air also hosted a special concert for Earth Day featuring legendary singer and author Patti Smith alongside her daughter, composer Jesse Paris Smith, and cellist Rebecca Foon (the two are the co-founders of “Pathway to Paris,” a series of concerts focused on climate change), as well as American singer–songwriter Larkin Grimm. Jonathan Schwartz presented a night with TV and Broadway star Ana Gasteyer and a preview of “Letters to Dinah Washington” with Champian Fulton in The Greene Space.